FGIA Members Share Their Biggest Takeaways from Fall Conference Legislative and Regulatory Updates for the U.S., Canada

At the 2026 Fall Conference, Kathy Krafka Harkema, U.S. Codes and Advocacy Director, and Amy Roberts, Canadian Codes and Advocacy Director, shared their respective areas of expertise. Because of the rapidly changing nature of current political and economic climates, both Krafka Harkema and Roberts create detailed presentations, revising slides with new information until minutes before they are delivered. FGIA asked a handful of members for their biggest takeaways following this popular session at the Fall Conference in Calgary, AB.

Lisa Bergeron, JELD-WEN

“My biggest take away is that (from a Canadian perspective) we will get through this from a trade perspective, but the harm being done to the relationship between Canada and U.S. will likely last for decades. Also, we need to be involved! We need to work together to get our voices heard.”

Paul Bush, Vitro Architectural Glass

“Great to know to expect the draft of Canada’s ENERGY STAR v6 specification by the end of September!”

Meghan Chamberlin, Lippert Components

“I had a couple of key takeaways. First, the number of revisions that the Harmonized Tariff Schedule has gone through since our last conference in March. I believe Kathy said at that time it was at Revision 6 and as of Wednesday it was at Revision 17. Even just between the time Kathy made the presentation and Wednesday morning it had gone from Revision 16 to 17.

“Second, while my company does not currently participate in the Energy Star program it was good to learn that a transition plan to move the program from the EPA to the DOE has been finalized.”

Tony Vella, Vision Extrusions Limited

“My biggest takeaway was improving housing affordability is not just a matter of building more homes. The cost regulations, the impact of tariffs and the cost to build better homes must be seriously considered.”